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The second episode of Partners picks up a few months after the first ended, allowing Allen Braddock and Marcus Jackson to have established a rhythm together. Michael convinces them to meet with a gay couple who are friends of his who want to sue their wedding planner for a refund. He uses the unfortunate term gwedding (meaning a gay wedding), which gives Braddock the opening to coin the terms goney (gay money) and givorce (gay divorce).

If you thought the Legally Blonde joke from last episode was in poor taste, this episode moves fully into homophobic territory. After hearing the couples’ story of their wedding planner’s sabotage, Braddock says, “I think you are making a Brokeback Mountain out of a molehill.’ He later tells the wedding planner, Biffy (Missi Pyle), “There are two things that gay men simply will not tolerate: having their name misspelled on a latte and deception,” to which Jackson replies, “I thought he was gonna say breasts.”

Once Braddock realizes the payday he can get from this couple, he agrees to take the case, even going so far as to go undercover with Jackson as a gay couple (though he of course clarifies, “No one would ever believe I’m a homosexual.”). The pair spend quite some time undercover, playing out fictional arguments about their fake wedding (“Nothing fancy,” “We should be saving for a house,” etc.).

The con goes all the way to an actual fake wedding, where Allen improvises his vows: “You had me at hello. I just can’t quit you.” Marcus stands up in the very same suit he wore to his own wedding, pulling his vows out of his pocket. He gets emotional and leaves the room, admitting to Allen that his real vows were still in his pocket. Allen is horrified that Marcus hasn’t dry-cleaned his suit in 22 years.

Their conversation is interrupted by a dead pigeon falling to the floor, and the two discover that Biffy is running quite an operation. She has her workers spray-painting pigeons white to look like doves, putting box wine into nice wine bottles, pouring terrible airplane food onto gourmet plates, and repurposing funeral arrangements to use as wedding flowers. They corner Biffy and she agrees to make a deal, refunding the money to Michael’s friends.

Meanwhile, Marcus’ mother, Ruth, spends time with Allen’s stepdaughter, Lizzie (McKaley Miller), in an attempt to teach her some manners. Lizzie is the typical portrayal of a millennial, stating outright that she is more interested in Twitter than in looking both ways before crossing the street, and saying of Ruth, “Is she OK? She seems really old.” She ends up being a card shark and helps Ruth win a bunch of money off her friends.

Ruth is nice to Lizzie, which is not something she’s used to from adults. They come to an understanding, and Lizzie even says, “Maybe I was wrong about people your age.” This is a drastic change from the girl we’re first introduced to and seems like too much of a difference to have been made in one day. Perhaps Ruth is just the only one to see through Lizzie’s facade. She tells Lizzie late in the episode, “You try to act like you don’t care about what other people think so you won’t have to live up to their expectations, especially Allen, but you do care.”

The second episode ends with a joke fairly representative of the show as a whole so far. Braddock says, “That reminds me of a similar arrangement I recently made with my wife. She wanted a cat, I didn’t, so we compromised and got a cat.” Jackson replies, “Now that’s a partnership.”

What did you think of this episode? Is the chemistry between the leads all the way there? Now that we’ve seen what the typical episode will look like, what are your impressions?

Other thoughts:

– Veronica continues to be one of the better parts of the show, but perhaps this is because she is utilized so briefly each episode. This time, she shows up to tell the guys about the time when, “Just last week I ate a hot dog at a food court and four gay men gave me a standing ovation.”

– This argument between Braddock and Jackson seems close to what actually may have been said in the writers’ room about the content and message of this episode: “We’re making a mockery of a right these people have struggled for, a right some of them still don’t have.” “We’re here because you wanted to help them. That’s what matters.”

– Biffy easily has the funniest line in the episode when she tells the guys their wedding would have “locally sourced beef, not slaughtered, but gently coaxed into suicide.”

– In the beginning of the episode, Braddock refutes the idea that he’s racist by telling Jackson, “When I was growing up, my best friend was black.” It’s quickly revealed that Braddock is in fact talking about what he calls “an African-American lab.” He is truly the worst.

Expression Of JoyThe Brady Bunch: Groovy! The Bradys: Ritual hugging Married…With Children: ”Oh, great.” Thirtysomething: ”Of course I’m happy for you. Really. But what about me? Why does it always have to be about you? The Flintstones: ”Yabba-dabba doo

Expression Of Rage

The Brady Bunch: ”Hmmm…” The Bradys: ”If you back away from something you really want, then you’re a quitter!” (the angriest any Brady has ever been) Married…With Children: ”Aaagh, God, take me from this miserable life!” Thirtysomething: ”I’m not angry, OK?” The Flintstones: ”Willllmaaaa!”

Typical ProblemThe Brady Bunch: Marcia and her rival both want to be the prom queen. The Bradys: Bobby gets paralyzed. Married…With Children: Al doesn’t buy his family Christmas presents. Thirtysomething: Nancy gets cancer. The Flintstones: Fred and Barney are staying out too late.

Typical SolutionThe Brady Bunch: The prom committee decides to have two queens. The Bradys: Bobby gets married. Married…With Children: They hate him. Thirtysomething: If only we knew… The Flintstones: Wilma and Betty decide to follow them.

Attitude Toward SexThe Brady Bunch: Never heard of it The Bradys: Omigod — even Cindy does it! Married…With Children: Peg: Yes. Al: No. Thirtysomething: They didn’t get all those kids by accident. The Flintstones: Prehistoric

How Spouses FightThe Brady Bunch: They don’t. The Bradys: Infrequently, but it happens Married…With Children: Tooth and nail Thirtysomething: They stop talking The Flintstones: Fred and Barney go bowling while Wilma and Betty max out their charge cards.

How Kids Get Into TroubleThe Brady Bunch: Greg takes a puff of a cigarette. The Bradys: Carol’s grandson steals her business cards and sticks them in the spokes of Bobby’s wheelchair. Married…With Children: By committing felonies Thirtysomething: Ethan plays with a forbidden toy rocket. The Flintstones: They don’t.

How They’re Punished

The Brady Bunch: ”It’s not what you did, honey — it’s that you couldn’t come to us.” The Bradys ”Next time, ask.” Married…With Children: By the authorities Thirtysomething: It blows up in his face. The Flintstones: They’re not.

What Family Does For FunThe Brady Bunch: Takes special three-part vacations to Hawaii and the Grand Canyon The Bradys: Has flashbacks Married…With Children: Exchanges insults Thirtysomething: Talks The Flintstones: Attends showings of The Monster at the Bedrock Drive-In

Unsolved MysteriesThe Brady Bunch: How exactly did Carol’s first husband and Mike’s first wife die? The Bradys: What’s with Marcia’s new face and Bobby’s blonde hair Married…With Children: What kind of hair spray does Peg use? Thirtysomething: Why did Nancy take Elliot back? What do Gary and Susanna see in each other? The Flintstones: How does Barney’s shirt stay on if he has no shoulders? Where do Fred and Wilma plug in their TV?

Worst BehaviorThe Brady Bunch: The Brady children once made Alice feel under-appreciated.

Best Reason To WatchThe Brady Bunch: This is what life should be. The Bradys: They’re all grown-ups now! Married…With Children: Terry Rakolta hates it. Thirtysomething (Tie) This is your life. This isn’t your life. The Flintstones: This is what life might have been.

Best Reason Not To WatchThe Brady Bunch: Blurred vision from rerun overdoses. The Bradys: You’re all grown-ups now. Married…With Children: She has a point. Thirtysomething: After a while, you think it’s real. The Flintstones: The Simpsons